Orlando secures Banchero With 5-Year, US$239-M Max Extension

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Orlando Magic made it clear that there is no one to build around their franchise but only the 22-year-old superstar Paolo Banchero.

After a promising start in his three-year NBA career with the Magic boosted by back-to-back playoff appearances, the front office rewarded their hardworking star with a five-year, $239 million rookie maximum extension confirmed by ESPN’s veteran NBA insider Shams Charania.

Banchero has been rock solid since donning the Orlando jersey and helped the franchise end a four-year NBA playoff drought after qualifying in the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs.

The American-Italian power forward was balling in his playoff debut and helped the Magic push the Cleveland Cavaliers to a grueling seven-game series in the Eastern Conference first round.

However, Banchero and Orlando conceded their massive 16-point lead in the closeout game, when Donovan Mitchell went berserk in the second half to march to the semifinals.

The management saw that loss as a bright future for a young team and they added more pieces that could fit Banchero but injuries derailed their maximum potential last NBA season.

With the rise of the Banchero-Franz Wagner duo, their supporting cast, Jalen Suggs and the rest, failed to suit up in all games in their matchup against the Boston Celtics, one of the major reasons why they failed to fight back against the former NBA kings.

Banchero had a slow start to the season but picked up his rhythm post All-Star game, averaging 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

He elevated his production in the playoffs against the Celtics and tallied 29.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during the five-game series.

This upcoming season, Banchero was handed additional support in their campaign of a deeper NBA playoff push after Orlando signed Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies.

With the two-way player’s addition, Orlando will now have more firepower with the rotation of Banchero, Wagner, and Bane. NBA insiders confirmed that the Magic isn’t done making moves this off-season, so expect the front office to pull more names into their team.